Men sign and collect signatures for women-only pink buses

A group of men in Turkey's southeastern province of Van initiated a petition for women-only pink buses, a reactionary practice introduced by the ruling AKP party in different provinces. Yet, only men support the petition, as women criticize it by saying "they should first change their mentality"

The group working under the name of 'Civil Solidarity Initiative' demanded women-only pink buses, an Islamist practice of the AKP previously launched in the northwestern province Bursa, the eastern province of Malatya and the southern province of Kahramanmaraş.

Kadri Elvan, one of the men demanding separate seats in public transportation for women, said that they launched this campaign because 'mixed-sex transportation causes many difficulties' for them. He also stated that the campaign has been mostly supported by men and that 16,000 signatures were collected per day.

WOMEN DO NOT WANT 'PINK BUSES'

It is remarkable that it is mostly men that are giving support to this petition, as women criticize the campaign for women-only pink buses.

Women stated that the campaign serves sexist discrimination. Saying that "men should first change their mentality, instead of demanding pink buses", Zuhal Çakır stated that "This campaign serves the purpose of the dominant patriarchic mindset that has developed and still wants to consolidate itself against women. Why did these campaigning men not go the streets against child abuse or violence against women? Another woman was battered in the middle of the street as recently as yesterday. Why do not they collect signatures against violence against women? I will not use their pink buses; if they want to use it, then they can get on it."